I dropped off our not-so-trusty Vue today at our local mechanic.

“I know something’s wrong,” I said. ”We’ll take a look at it,” was the reply.

Look, they did.

(more…)

If you treat people like they are expendable (easily replaceable; dime-a-dozen; nothing special), don’t be surprised when they act expendable. Even at a subconscious level, people know when they’re not valued. This applies at work, at home, in all areas of life.

(more…)

In The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working, author Tony Schwartz states that:

How we feel profoundly influences how we perform. Feeling devalued pushes us into the Survival Zone–which increases our fear, distracts our attentions, drains our energy, and diminishes the value we’re capable of creating … Perhaps no human need is more neglected in the workplace than to feel valued.

Wow. That’s a statement. However, I’m guessing there are many people reading this post where this passage rings true. “Check. Check aaaaand check,” you said to yourself silently.

(more…)

I’m ankle-deep into Tony Schwartz’s book, The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working, and he drops this bomb on me:
(more…)

I’ve made it no secret that I’m a huge fan of Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky. It’s easily the best business book I’ve read in the past five years–maybe ever. So when I read this passage in my devotions this morning, my mind immediately jumped to the action method philosophy. Read, from Evelyn Underhill’s The Spiritual Life:
(more…)

Wow. It seems quite a few of you feel a similar pull to start asking for things. Big things.

Since yesterday’s post, I’ve heard from some of you who were inspired by the idea:
(more…)

“I wonder what would happen if I made a big ask every day for a month?”

This thought nestled in my brain last night and hasn’t left since. I talked to my wife about it. I wrote a list of what I consider to be “big asks”. I thought about what life might look like on the other side of this little thought experiment. The possibilities excited me enough to actually give this a shot. It’s time to start asking.

A “big ask” is something you normally wouldn’t ask of other people. Perhaps fear or inhibition has kept you from picking up the phone, typing up the email or having the meeting. Whatever the ask may be, it’s something that will usually help get us from where we are to where we want to be.

Some examples of a “big ask” might be:
(more…)

• The response from my Cupid/OUTSPOKEN post has been humbling. Never have I been more convinced that people are in desperate need of grace; both from God and from other people. Be graceful today.
• The Social Media Summit may actually happen. I’m shocked at how many people have expressed interest in something like this.
• These next few months will be busy: ECHO and M2 LIVE next week, Boston trip and STORY in September, M2 LIVE Chicago in October.
• When did rosaries become a fashion accessory?
• My new goal in Words with Friends is to break 500. Do you play?
• We have VBS going on this week at my church. My view of vacation Bible school has been forever changed since I took a philosophy of ministry class in seminary. I won’t go into details, suffice to say I can boil my experience down into two words: cognitive development.
• Clay Shirky’s work Here Comes Everybody is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Every page is filled with highlights.
• Updated JustinWise.me. It’s running my favorite John Saddington theme.
• How do some “social media consultants” continue to get work? No value added, just snake oil salesmen.
• What’s going on in your world?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you look around and think, “I have no idea how I got here?”

In college I was part of a student-run news station called UNI-TV. In one of my less-than-stellar moments in life, I decided to dress up as Cupid for our Valentine’s Day special. My “costume” consisted of nothing more than heart-shaped sun glasses, the word “Cupid” drawn on my chest, and a “diaper”–white gym shorts rolled up entirely too short. Don’t believe me? Here’s visual proof:
(more…)

I wanted to be fully committed to awesomeness. Committed to giving the best that I can in every situation. Don’t you?

I lived a lot of my life living at the B minus level. With a small portion of intelligence, I could skate through school with ease. “Why strive to get A’s when I can give second (or third or fourth) best and pass?”

Same thing with most of the jobs I’ve had throughout the years. To put it in a word, I was a “hireling.” I knew that I would get paid the same whether I gave my best or coasted through. I usually chose the latter. “Why try harder if I won’t see any added benefits?”

Lately, nothing tires me more quickly than mediocrity. Mediocre work. Mediocre effort. Mediocre personal appearance. People giving a half-effort the whole time. Ugh.

I gravitate towards leaders like Scott Belsky, Ben Arment, Rob Bell and Cynthia Ware because they excel in awesomeness. They repel mediocrity. They move in awesomeness by consistently delivering a product–be it a sermon, book, or email–that oozes with intentionality and clarity.

So let’s commit together to the pursuit of awesomeness. Okay? Not perfectionism, but awesomeness. A willingness to put the cherry on top of every situation. I’m game. Are you?

How will you commit to awesomeness today?